Alshon Jeffery moves into second in career receiving yards at USC
The struggles continued for Stephen Garcia Saturday.
The fifth-year senior quarterback threw four interceptions as the USC pass offense continued to sputter, eliciting boos from the Williams-Brice Stadium crowd on several occasions.
"Hopefully this is the last week we play like this offensively," Garcia said. "I don't think we can survive playing like that. We know we have to get better. We have to start practicing better and getting better every single day, mentally and physically and getting our heads together."
Connor Shaw played one drive in the fourth quarter, appearing in a game for the first time since he started in the season opener against East Carolina. Garcia said he wasn't upset by the decision to replace him.
"They wanted to get Connor some playing time, some experience, and that's normal," Garcia said. "We had the game pretty much sealed at the end. So I'm not really frustrated by it at all."
Coach Steve Spurrier refused to criticize Garcia after the game, choosing instead to praise his effort.
"I'm not going to say anything about Stephen," Spurrier said. "Stephen is actually trying the best he can, and that's all, as a coach, that you can ever ask a person. We came out throwing a little bit early, hit a few here and there, and he just missed the guy down the middle. He's doing the best we can. That's all we can ever say for any of our players."
But Spurrier did not give a straight answer when asked whether Garcia would start against Auburn. Spurrier said it is likely Garcia will start, but that things could change.
"I don't know. We'll put whoever out there that will help us win the game," Spurrier said. "He probably will [start]. If some of those other guys look great in practice, we'll put them in there. But they haven't really impressed us all that much in practice. As a coach, you put whoever out there you think will have the best chance to help you win the game."
Jeffery second in career receiving yards: After two catches for 34 yards in the win, Alshon Jeffery moved passed Sterling Sharpe to take second place in career receiving yards at USC.
"It's a great accomplishment. I'd like to thank my teammates and my coaches for helping me get here," Jeffery said. "But I'm not big on that. I just care about the win."
Jeffery now has 2,526 career yards. The junior needs 255 more yards to move into a first-place tie with Kenny McKinley, who played for the Gamecocks from 2005 to 2008.
"Hopefully we get him to No. 1," Garcia said. "I'm sure that's a goal of his. But he's a team guy, just like the rest of the guys. Individual plaques and achievements aren't that big of a deal. As long as we win, it doesn't really matter."
Hampton debuts at corner: Redshirt freshman Victor Hampton made his first appearance as a Gamecock, collecting two tackles in the second half. Assistant coach Ellis Johnson indicated that improvement by Hampton would help the defense as a whole.
"I thought he played pretty well," Johnson said. "There were no major mistakes. At one time it felt like he bailed out of his technique a little early. But for the limited amount of practice time he's had with us, I thought he was pretty decent.
"If he does continue to improve, it'll be welcome news. We can get some guys off the field and rotated, and we can also get some guys out of their comfort zone that need to be pushed."